Prep Swimming: Freeport Pretzels 3-peat at NIC-10 meet

Saturday

Nov 9, 2013 at 8:58 PMNov 9, 2013 at 8:58 PM

By Jay TaftThe Journal-Standard

ROCKFORD — Freeport cruised to wins in two of the three relay races, and junior Lexie Joy went 4-for-4 in her events as the Pretzels held on for their third straight NIC-10 girls swim and dive championship Saturday.

Joy steamrolled the competition in both of the middle-distance freestyle events, winning the 200-yard free (1:55.72) by more than seven seconds and the 100 free (53.42) by over three seconds. She was also part of the Pretzels’ victorious 400-free-relay (3:46.20) squad and the winning 200-medley-relay (1:52.50) crew.

Still Freeport, which finished with 286 points, had to hold off charges from Belvidere (245) and Boylan (239½), and Hononegah (218) was never far behind.

“We knew this would be a big challenge. We knew we were going to have to give everything, and get everything from every single teammate, to win this,” said Joy, who has won at least one individual conference championship in each of her first three years of high school, as well as a team title. “From the beginning we’ve all kind of motivated each other on this team. We inspire each other, and push each other every day, and that really gets us ready for meets like this.”

The Pretzels also got a dominant win from Sammy Dammann in the 500 free, swimming a 5:29.05, more than 10 seconds faster than second place. But it was Belvidere’s growing pool of talent that stole the spotlight midway through the day.

Sophomore Abby Hawkes poured it on during the last leg to take the 200 individual-medley (2:13.95) title, passing and then holding off Freeport senior Leigh Hartog (2:14.29) down the stretch. Her Belvidere co-op teammate Jordan Andrews, just a freshman, swam a 26.06 in the 50-free to nab the title of fastest sprinter as well.

Not to be outdone by her young practice partners, Bucs’ senior Olivia Cacciatore followed that up by powering to a win in the 100 butterfly (59.24) and in the 100 breast stroke (1:08.91).

“Because it’s my last year, and there are all these younger girls stepping it up, the pressure’s on me these days,” Cacciatore said. “Every year I feel like I have to do better than I did last year, and I have to step it up. But this year; well obviously I want to go out with a bang, not a fizzle.”

Boylan’s winning 200-free-relay (1:43.91) squad had the same plan, and Aby Olson was able to close the deal in the 100 backstroke (58.89) as well.

And, despite hitting her hand on the board on her second-to-last dive, Hononegah’s Kendra Wulf slammed the door on her third NIC-10 diving championship with a score of 360.35 to kickstart the whole meet. She, and the rest of the NIC-10 competitors, will now join the field in the Byron Sectional next Saturday, with bids to the Nov. 22-23 state meet on the line.

“My hand is still sore, but I’ll be ready for that,” Wulf added. “I’ve just got to stay focused, and keep working. Sectionals and state is where we really want to have our best, and they’re coming now.”